Contented cows?  Butterflies gliding slowly over green fields of clover?  Close, but not exactly.

In order to be classified as “organic” by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and be able to display the organic logo, a farm or food processing facility must be certified by a USDA-accredited certifying agency.  The name and address of the certifying agent must be displayed on the information panel.

Under the requirements of the USDA’s National Organic Program, the certifying agencies verify that:

For plant-based foods, they must have been grown:

• Without the aid of genetic engineering,
• Without the use of ionizing radiation,
• Without the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer,
• Without pesticides not allowed for organic agriculture (note that this implies that some pesticides ARE allowed for organic agriculture).

For meats, it must have been raised:

• Without the use of antibiotics,
• Without the use of growth hormones,
• By being fed an organic diet (note that “organic diet” is still a pretty broad term).

For food products that contain multiple ingredients, the USDA has 4 distinct categories:

1. “100% Organic.” In order to be labeled “100% Organic,” all of the ingredients in the food (excluding water and salt) and all of the processing aids used to process the food must be organic.  If these conditions are met, the USDA “Organic” logo can be displayed on the package.
2. “Organic.” A food labeled “Organic” means that the product contains between 95 to 99% organic ingredients.  The ingredients that are not organic must have been approved by the USDA’s National Organic Program.  If these conditions are met, the product can display the USDA “Organic” logo on the package.
3. “Made with Organic Ingredients.“  Foods “Made with Organic Ingredients” must contain between 70 to 94% organic ingredients.  Up to 3 of these organic ingredients can be listed on the front of the package.  However, the package cannot display the USDA’s “Organic” logo.
4. All others. Food products with less than 70% organic ingredients can only list the organic ingredients on the information panel of the package.  They cannot use the USDA’s Organic logo and no other “organic” claims can be made.

Note that the USDA does not regulate or restrict the use of other food labeling claims such as:

• “Free Range”
• “No Drugs or Growth Hormones Used”
• “Hormone-Free”
• “Sustainably Harvested”
• “Pesticide-Free”

These are marketing or advertising claims and would fall under the “Truth in Advertising Act” administered by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Although a civil penalty of up to $11,000 can be levied on any person who knowingly sells or labels as “organic” any product that does not comply with National Organic Program requirements, the chances of getting caught, especially for small operators, are pretty slim.  The USDA’s National Organic Program is a good step-in-the-right-direction and the majority of the large, brand-name food manufacturers and processors who have national reputations to uphold comply with the program pretty closely.  However, for the rest of the food industry, you still need a healthy dose of  “Buyer Beware.”

The best way to know you’re purchasing real organic products is to get to know your supplier.  If you purchase from local farmers or co-ops, don’t hesitate to ask the hard questions or to even request a visit to the farm(s).  Don’t take their claims at face value.  Ask to see proof.  Reputable dealers will be very up-front and open about their operations.  It’s the people that won’t look you in the eye, won’t fully answer your questions and act shady that probably have something to hide.

Although there’s still plenty of controversy about whether or not organically produced food is any better for you nutritionally than commercially prepared food, for many people, the choice is to go with organic whenever they can.  Hopefully this article will help make sure that you’re getting what you’re paying for.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: nutrition, organic, diet, food, growth hormone, pesticide, USDA, National Organic Program, NOP

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2. Review of the USDA “Food Atlas”

According to the site,

The Atlas assembles statistics on three broad categories of food environment factors:

• Food Choices—Indicators of the community’s access to and acquisition of healthy, affordable food, such as: access and proximity to a grocery store; number of foodstores and restaurants; expenditures on fast foods; food and nutrition assistance program participation; quantities of foods eaten; food prices; food taxes; and availability of local foods
• Health and Well-Being—Indicators of the community’s success in maintaining healthy diets, such as: food insecurity; diabetes and obesity rates; and physical activity levels
• Community Characteristics—Indicators of community characteristics that might influence the food environment, such as: demographic composition; income and poverty; population loss; metro-nonmetro status; natural amenities; and recreation and fitness centers

The Atlas currently includes 90 indicators of the food environment. The year and geographic level of the indicators vary to better accommodate data from a variety of sources. Some data are from the last Census of Population in 2000 while others are as recent as 2009. Some are at the county level while others are at the State or regional level. The most recent county-level data are used whenever possible.

So what can you do with this?  Well, it’s kind of neat to pay around with the maps to see where your community rates compared to the rest of your state, or even compared to other states.

For example, when I map out the Adult Obesity Rate, I can quickly see that my friends in Mississippi and Alabama don’t fare too well with significant portions of both states having obesity rates as high as 35-43% of the population.

Click on the Adult Diabetes rate, and you get pretty much the same distribution:  MS and AL lead the country.  If I look at “Gal per capita of soft drinks,” the same states show up along with TN and KY.

The maps also tell me that only 60% of adults in MS, AL, TN, and KY are meeting the activity guidelines for adults, the lowest statistical category listed.

Are you getting the picture?  The data creates a pretty clear link between a lack of physical activity and too much junk food with adult obesity and diabetes.  You can also throw in poverty rates, median household incomes, as well as a number of other interesting statistics.

But is it Useful?

Although I had fun clicking on the various statistics and seeing how the map changed, I really don’t see myself ever going back to the site.  The site seems to be designed more for people involved with developing or monitoring state-wide or national government policies instead of the average individual trying to figure out how to make better food choices.

Still, I’m a sucker for technology so I just had to give it a whirl!  Try it for yourself at the USDA Food Atlas.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: usda, food, atlas, map, statistical, statistics, data

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This article appeared in an Australian newspaper and it describes some of the things we’ve all heard about health and fitness that just are not true.  In other words, they’re big fat lies.

For example, want to know the real facts about:

• Whether fruit juice is as fattening as beer?
• Whether you really should drink 8 glasses of water per day?
• Whether dark chocolate is healthy for you?
• Whether exercise is better for weight loss than dieting?
• Whether a low-protein diet is better for weight loss?

What these researchers learned is that many doctors are just as confused about what makes up good health as the typical lay person.  Advertisers have apparently been very successful in muddying the waters about what is healthy and what isn’t.  You owe it to yourself (and to your health) to find out the facts.

So take a couple of minutes and shoot over to the article called “Big Fat Lies” in today’s Sydney Morning Herald by clicking here.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: fitness, health, food, nutrition, weight loss, diet, exercise, balanced health

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This is an example of a subconscious “anchor,” an action or a piece of information that gets set by others, but that significantly influences the decisions we make.

Anchors are everywhere and can take a number of forms.  The food companies are experts at making their food products look (color), sound (sizzle), smell (aroma) and feel (texture) soooo good that your mouth instantly starts watering.  An anchor gets set that makes you suddenly stop in front of that specific food the next time you’’re in the grocery store.

Now, a study to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that the eating habits of the people we eat with can have a significant influence on our own food intake.

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  You’’re thinking, “”Of course.  Eating with big people who eat massive quantities of food will make me want to eat massive quantities of food as well.””  However, it turns out that it’’s not the “big people” you need to watch out for.  It’s the skinny ones with big appetites that you need to avoid.

All of us tend to mirror the actions of those around us, especially of the people we want to be like or who exhibit some characteristic (like being thin) that we want to have as well.  If you see a thin person grab a double helping of mashed potatoes in a buffet line, you’’re subconsciously going to think, “hey, that person is thin, I want to be thin, they’’re eating mashed potatoes, so I’’ll have some too.”  It’s called the “I’’ll-have-what-she’’s-having” syndrome and it’s a perfect example of the power of anchoring.  Unfortunately, the next thing you know your jeans are fitting a little too tight.

Of course, there are plenty of positive examples of anchoring as well.  In my Cardio Class for example, there’s a 17 year old guy that’’s in fantastic shape.  Whenever, we run sprints together, I can’’t help but try to out run the guy.  In fact, according to my heart rate monitor, I frequently push my heart rate well above my theoretical maximum just trying to keep up with him.  Of course he always beats me, but considering that there’’s a 40 year difference between our ages, I don’t feel too bad about my performance!  Although I know I’’m getting sucked into a competition I can’’t win, I still get some positive benefits from it.

So how do you prevent the way your own mind works from totally destroying your diet?  Here are some tips:

1.  Be aware of the anchors that are constantly trying to influence your behavior. In everything from shoes to toothpaste, “Madison Avenue” is constantly trying to get you to associate their product or service with a “gotta-have-it-now” state of mind.  See it for the sales pitch it is and then you choose how you will respond.

2.  Keep food in its proper place. The main purpose of food is to fuel your body, period.  Food is not for pleasure, or a form of escape, or something to help you cope with an unpleasant experience.  Work on any false beliefs or misconceptions you might have about food, or that involves food, because until you do, overeating will always be a part of your life.  Yes, this will be hard, especially if you belong to a culture where food is an integral part of every social event.

3.  Don’t let the group dictate your diet. Realize that your mother was right: – be careful who you associate with because your friends will shape you, including your eating habits and portion sizes.  Decide on what a normal meal is for you and then stick to it, no matter who you’’re with or where you go.  If you don’’t normally eat dessert, don’’t order one just because everybody else is getting one.

Finally, keep a close watch on your skinny friends -– especially the ones with bad eating habits!

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach andPersonal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – no email, no cookies, no catch.  Download and enjoy!

[tags]fitness, health, diet, eating, skinny, fat, food, anchor, behavior, overeating, weight[tags]

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2. Why Do We Overeat?

Learn the top 10 absolutely worst foods to eat in this entertaining video by nutritionist Natalie Butler at www.nutritionbynatalie.com.

Once you’ve watched this 10 minute video, do what I did:

Count up how many of these foods you’ve had in the past week.  Come on, how many?

I’ll ‘fess up to the fried catfish (one of my favorites) and the baked goods (I’ve got a bad sweet tooth).

You know, if you really want to lose weight, get fit, and enjoy all the benefits of being in good health, you first must become aware of the nutritional benefits (or the risks) of what you’re putting into your body.

Second, you need to consistently make better choices in what you eat as well as how much.

Getting and maintain good health is not rocket science.  It’s making good food, exercise, and lifestyle choices on a daily basis.

Hope you enjoyed this video.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach andPersonal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – no email, no cookies, no catch.  Download and enjoy!

Technorati Tags: food, nutrition, weight loss, balanced health

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Those days are long gone.  Drive past any restaurant, even the really bad ones, and you’ll find a parking lot full of cars along with a waiting line at the front desk.  It’s the same story even on school nights!

With most of us struggling to juggle work and family responsibilities, stopping for dinner at a restaurant on the way home is a welcome convenience.  Unfortunately, a steady diet of restaurant food is probably not the healthiest choice you can make.

Here are some healthy tips to keep in mind the next time you’re eating out:

1.  Do some research before you arrive at the restaurant. Do you know what a “normal serving” is?  Do you know the difference in calories and fats between grilling, broiling, and braising?  There are a lot of websites that list the nutritional values of the main dishes of most popular restaurants.  Do a little research so you’ll know which dishes are relatively healthy, and which are gut-busters.

2.  Don’t let what others order influence your food choice. I do it too.  Every time I hear what someone else is ordering, I think, “Ooo, that sounds good.”  If all you originally wanted was a soup and salad, don’t be tempted by whatever anyone else orders.

3.  “Have It Your Way.” Make sure to get your food prepared that way you want it prepared.  Don’t be shy about asking that your food be cooked without butter, salt, or anything else you’re trying to cut down on.  If you get a salad, ALWAYS ask for the dressing on the side.

4.  Split an entre with a friend or make a meal out of appetizers. The portions served in most restaurants are huge.  Sharing with a friend means that you don’t overeat.  Feel funny about ordering one entre and asking for an extra plate?  See tip # 3 above.

5.  Ask that a To-Go box be brought when they deliver your meal. Before taking your first bite, put half of the meal in the to-go box for lunch tomorrow.  I’ve made this recommendation in previous posts and it works.

People eating out more and more frequently has been identified as one of the causes of America’s obesity epidemic.  However, our modern lifestyle makes the traditional, home-cooked, sit-down dinner less and less likely.  Eating at restaurants has become part of our culture.  These tips should help you enjoy the experience of eating out without sacrificing your health in the process.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: nutrition, health, restaurants, eating out, calories, balanced health, tips, food

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